Bottle brushes, such as those for cleaning infant or nursing bottles, generally include a handle, a neck extending from the handle, a head disposed on the neck, and a plurality of bristles extending from the brush head. During use the bristles are made to contact and abrade outer and inner surfaces of a bottle to remove dirt, food, and other material. Cleaning the inner surface of a bottle generally requires inserting the head and bristles into the bottle.
A bottle must be properly and thoroughly cleaned between uses to ensure the health and safety of users of the bottle, particularly if the bottle user is an infant or young child who may have underdeveloped immune systems. Absent proper cleaning, a bottle may harbor bacteria and similar harmful organisms that, if ingested or exposed to, may cause illness, infection, and similar harm.
Bottles are available in various shapes, sizes, and designs and many consumers own multiple bottles of different types. For example, among nursing bottles, it is common for bottles to have a standard size or what is commonly referred to as a “wide-neck” size. Bottle designs may include features that are difficult to clean absent use of a specially designed bottle brush having a shape, size, or bristle arrangement particularly configured to clean the features. Cleaning such bottles absent the proper bottle brush may be difficult and inefficient and may increase the likelihood that the bottle will not be properly cleaned and will harbor or encourage growth of harmful bacteria and the like. Accordingly, consumers are left with the choice of purchasing multiple brushes specifically designed for the bottles they own or spending extra time and effort to clean bottles using sub-optimal brushes.
In light of the foregoing, there is a need for a single bottle brush capable of properly and efficiently cleaning bottles of various sizes, shapes, and designs.